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VOL. VI NO. 2
HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, For and on behalf of
SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, LID
magitan The
Hongkong Telegraph
THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 1951.
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UN FORCES ABANDON SEOUL Orderly Withdrawal Carried Out To The South British 29th Brigade In Action Against Reds
COMMENT
Mr
Dean Acheson's inspiring words, delivered in a radio interview, on the sources of strength of the United States, are a to the -fitting answer
and isola- defeatists tionists whose voice is being heard in the land.
Mr Acheson issues a timely corrective to those prophets of doom who believe Communist pansion to be unstoppable. This belief that nothing
can
ex-
can check its march is a potent element in Ameri- isolationism and, the in incidentally, defeatism so prevalent on the Continent of Europe.
Tokyo, Jan. 3.
Seoul has been abandoned by United Nations forces, it was announced here today. The United Nations forces pulled out to the south as Com munist troops fought their way in from the north.
Earlier the United Nations forces fiercely battled the advancing Communists on the northern outskirts of Seoul as the South Korean capi- tal went up in flames from fires lit by fleeing citizens.
Crashing gunfire from the United Nations fleet lying off Inchon, the port of Seoul, backed up the defenders.
The South Korean President, Dr Syngman Rhee, and his Government leaders led the flight from their capital and reached Pusan, the chief United Nations supply port yesterday (Wednesday).
The civilian population were pany commander who said, "I in mass flight.
lost several men in today's counter-attack. Their sacrifice seems rather futile when we (Continued on Page 8, Col. 3)
The spearheads of 300,000 Chinese Communists and North Koreans battled with the U.N.
All along the United Nations line withdrawals continued under heavy pressure, a United
States Eighth Army spokesman
some
Despotism, when looked at forces in the northern suburbs from without, seems solid of Seoul. They made a sweeping while encircling movement after their and formidable,
New Year lunge across the 38th free societies look divided Parallel. and weak. This is a form of optical illusion. The grave internal weak-
said tonight. ness within the captive
Plunging across minefields and the world,
defences, precarious through barbed-wire power of despots who the Communists overran.
American advanced positions to have systematically des-
batter the defence are directly troyed
individual north of the capital. the initiative of their people these are facts which must encourage our hope of escaping war, or of winning it if it comes. By
its very
nature the Communist regime con- tains the seeds of its eventual self-destruction but to rely passively on the
self-destruction of
SOS FROM
P AND O FREIGHTER
a
Seattle, Jan. 3. The 11,000-ton · British With 10,000 Communists driv-freighter Palana flashed ing directly on Seoul, hundreds distress signal today, re- of thousands were sweeping porting that she had struck down the mountainous spine of
a reef and was sinking off central Korea.
the coast of Australia.
Kapyong and Chunchon, key highway and railway cities 13 and nine miles south of the Parallel, were believed to be in an Army Communist hands, briefing officer said here.
BRITISH ENGAGED
Coast Guard Headquarters. here said the distress signal, re- ceived at its station in Kel- chikan, Alaska, gave the ship's position as five miles northwest of Peak Island in the Percy
These towns, on a road drop-group. ping down to Seoul from the Earlier, the Coast Guard said the Communist empire hills to the northeast, were re- a bearing taken at Guam had by United fixed the source of the signal at would be perilous, even ported abandoned
Pine Peak in the Samoan Is- more perilous than to Nations forces yesterday.
In the cast central sector, lands. Coast Guard Headquar- place our trust in the
Chinese Communist troops had ters in New York found Pine in Peak Island in the charts of deterrent power of the been definitely identified
Australian walters and a second free world's vast military combat, this officer said,
signal received from the Palana potential without trans- lating that potential into
fact.
2
A United States Eighth Army spokesman said that the Chinese Communists had hurled seven Army corps into the offensive to and more were on the way reinforce them.
Punishing air attacks and
resistance failed dogged
to.
;
stem the tide of the Communists in the three-pronged drive
Seoul.
safeguard troops.
on
to be
at Ketchikan confirmed that was
the island.
The Merchants Exchange in Vancouver, British Columbia, reported that the Palana left her home port of London on Oct. 10 and arrived at Melbourne on Nov. 16. The vessel was scheduled to leave Melbourne for Brisbane some- time after Nov. 16.
The Palana was listed as
-
Madman Besieged In Lisbon
Lisbon, Jan. - 3. A madman shot dead one of three constables who went to fetch him for a medical examination here today. Then 1,000 onlookers watched .10. policemen with tear-gas bombs lay sloge to the first-floor flat, while he kept them at bay for two hours, shooting out of the window with a pair pistols..
:
of
The police threw gas bombs in at the window and eventually a big force went in to get the marks- man. Even then they had to overcome him by sheer. brute force.
The man, aged 45, had lived in the flat alone since his mother died two years ago. Reuter.
532 feet long and described as VOEU DE NOEL.. an oil burner. She is owned by and Oriental the Peninsular Steam Navigation Company, London.-United Press.
In spite of the allegations of the Communist propa- gandists and their friends no aggressive action will be taken by the West. But austerity, exertion and A: British Commonwealth self-sacrifices are indis-company was reported pensable-for the one fighting its way out of encircle- ment by Chinese Communist practicable against war, or the en-
But spokesmen in Tokyo and suring of victory should at the Eighth Army Head- war be forced on us-is quarters said that they had no to re-establish a balance knowledge of a report that the Communists had driven a wedge - of power,
between the British 29th Brigade The policy of the West of and an American division.
équipping itself to this end need not conflict with
Washington, Jan. 3. the continued search for a first time after two months innounced today that Mr Dean
State Department political settlement which Korea,
Acheson. the Secretary must and will be most The Brigade was strongly at State, had called in the British
tacked at dawn about seven and French earnestly pursued. The lesson has been learnt miles north of Seoul by small discussions at 9.00 p.m. GMT
Communist forces which over-tonight. that to negotiate with ran their forward positions. Russia from weakness is useless. The outlook for a settlement will be im- proved If Russia knows that we need not fear her,
Envoys Called To State Dept.
The British 29th Brigade group went into action against the Communists today for the The
an-
of
Ambassadors for
The announcement said that
A few hours after they had Mr Willard Thorp, the Asals- the tant Secretary of State för re-established their lines British battalion were told to Economic Affairs would attend retreat.
the conference. The subject Their bitterness was openly matter was not disclosed expressed by one young com- Reuter.
VOU
ATTLEE'S
APPEAL
TO MINERS Grave Fuel Crisis
London, Jan. 3. The Government today appealed to coalminers to stave off a nation-wide fuel crisis by producing an extra 3,000,000 tons of coal by the end of April.
The Prime Minister, Mr Clement Attlee, and three of his Ministers held, an urgent 95- minute conference with 27) leaders of the miners.
was
Afterwards a statement issued telling of the Govern ment's appeal and adding that the miners' representatives had promised full co-operation.
Today's crisis talks arose from the plight caused by Britain's dwindling coal stocks and the severe winter weather threaten- ing a transport hold-up of sup- plies to homes and industry.
With Mr. Attlee at today's meeting were the Foreign Secre- tary, Mr Ernest Bevin, Mr Hugh Gaitskell, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr Philip Noel- Baker, the Fuel Minister, and the Colonial Secretary, Mr James Griffiths, who isa miners' leader.
Mr Arthur Horner, the Com- munist Secretary of the Mine- workers Union was among the miners' leaders at the meeting.
Mr Attlee made a 10-minute speech on the gravity of the fuel crisis and the necessity for quick and effective action. It is believed that he told the union officials that a repetition of the 1947 fuel crisis might mean the downfall of the Labour Government.-Reuter.
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